Question

how do decomposers help other organisms in an ecosystem?
a they eat plants
b they use sunlight to produce food
c they return nutrients back to the soil
d they produce food from inorganic compounds

Explanation:

Decomposers break down dead organisms. This process releases nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium back into the soil. These nutrients are then available for plants (and by extension, other organisms in the food chain) to use for growth.

• Option a: Eating plants is not the key role of decomposers in helping the ecosystem. Herbivores eat plants.
• Option b: Using sunlight to produce food is the role of producers (like plants in photosynthesis), not decomposers.
• Option d: Producing food from inorganic compounds (chemosynthesis) is done by some bacteria in specific environments (like deep - sea vents), not decomposers.

Answer:

C. they return nutrients back to the soil